FIERCE ATMOSPHERES, one of Chicago's premiere examples of Progressive Power Metal, are back with their second full-length album, "The Speed of Dreams." Mixed and mastered by Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studios in Sweden. The album has nine songs, and "From Ashes" is the first. Bass thumps away in the opening sequence, followed by a set of melodies that really don't connect well in the verses. The vocalist has a nice set of pipes however. "Fear is a One Way" is another odd sound. A disconnect between the vocal and the music causes dissonance in my ears. The band are solid musicians, but not great songwriters.

"A Song to the Land of the Living" has a similar, dark sound. The vocals connect a little better with the riffs here, but there is still an overly puzzling deep dissonance. It's almost as if the riffs and vocals were written separately, and they tried to fit them together later. "High and Hellbound" is another similar song in this vein, and it's obvious that this is the sound we are going to hear. It causes much consternation in my ears, unfortunately. "The Words That Enslave" has an even stranger sound...there are dark elements, and some light elements, but they make absolutely no sense in the context of the song.

"The Stain" Is another bizarre song, and I am at a loss at this point. You could chalk this up to inexperience, but as I mentioned, the members are all fine musicians. I question the over use of darkness and the strange melodies. "Easy to Fall" is a slower, more introspective song. Again, and again, the melodies just to not connect here again, and this is getting painful to listen to. At this point, I desperately just want the album to end. "One More for the Dying" closes the album. It shows some promise, with some connecting melodies at first, but it falls back into the same trap as many of the other songs.

Overall, and I hate to be so critical, this album was an example of what happens when you get a group of solid musicians together but none of them really have any songwriting experience, an overt sense of melody, or how to make a song memorable. There was a very dissonant connection between the vocals and the music, and after a few songs, it just grated on me.